4 Things To Do Now Before You Have Your Baby

The big day is coming soon! You’ve finished your delivery classes and read pregnancy books. You’ve been diligent with your doctor appointments and taking your prenatal vitamins. And now that urge within you is starting to stir. You feel the need to get your home and yourself prepared for what’s to come after you give birth.

Most of the focus during pregnancy is on growing a healthy baby and preparing for your delivery day. Much less attention seems to go towards what you do when you bring this new life home. There’s no doubt that the postpartum experience can be quite challenging. You’re tending to a new baby and new routines — all while your body is exhausted and healing.

But a little planning can make a major difference during those first few weeks with your newborn. Here are four ways to help you get ready.

1. Prepare a Bathroom Care Kit

After delivery, you will be sore and wiped-out. If you had a vaginal birth, you might have had a vaginal tear or episiotomy during childbirth. This wound could hurt for a few weeks. Regardless of how you delivered, your body will begin to shed the lining of your uterus. This will result in a bloody discharge, much like having a heavy period.[1,2]

Having a care kit at home will prepare you for the challenges of caring for your body after delivery. Don’t get caught off-guard. Consider keeping a basket of the below items next to the toilet in every bathroom you have.

• Extra underwear. Save your favorite undies, and go with disposable or throwaway ones while you heal. The hospital will give you mesh underwear — take as many pairs as you can. Then buy a package or two of disposable, dark-colored underwear. “Granny panties”, or high-waisted panties, are great, especially if you had a C-section. Disposable and comfortable are key.

• Pads. Make sure you stock up on different sizes — from large, overnight maxis to regular-sized pads. Buy a few packages. You’ll be going through quite a few during your early days.

• Adult wet wipes. You can buy wipes that are flushable and designed to be gentle and soothing.

• Peri or squirt bottle. Most hospitals will give you one. Consider having an extra for your second bathroom or if you travel. This bottle will seriously become your new best friend in the bathroom. Fill it with warm, soapy water (use a mild soap), and have it on-hand to keep you clean as your perineal area heals.

To make it easier for you, some stores sell postpartum recovery kits already assembled. Click here to check out one from Target that even comes with a tote to store on top of your toilet.

2. Plan to Ease Aches and Pains

Coming home from the birthing center or hospital can be exciting and overwhelming. Your body has gone through a tremendous ordeal — one that can be painful or uncomfortable. Preparing in advance can help minimize discomfort. You may wish to include some of the noteworthy items below in your pain plan:

• Padsicles. These are lifesavers that help with pain and reduce swelling. And they’re simple to make.[3] Click here for a DIY guide. Ice packs can also work.

• Witch hazel. You can buy this in either pad or liquid form. It helps to soothe pain around your genital area.

• Lidocaine spray. This will help with the discomfort of postpartum hemorrhoids.

• Sitz bath. Use this to bring comfort to hemorrhoids or perineal tears. A sitz bath will cleanse the perineum and also bring relief to pain or itching in your genital area as you heal.

• Heating pad. Use this if you feel aches and pains in your breasts.

• Nipple cream and breast pads. This will help relieve discomfort, regardless of whether or not you breast-feed.

• Over-the-counter pain relievers. Talk with your health care provider about the best option for you.

• Stool softeners. Sometimes constipation can occur after delivery. Or there may be a fear hurting the perineum or episiotomy wound.[4] Eating plenty of fiber or taking a stool softener can help. Check with your doctor on what would work best for you.

3. Prepare Your Support Team

In our American culture, it’s difficult sometimes for women to ask for help. Remember to be kind to yourself, especially during these first few weeks. Having a newborn is hard. 

Preparing a support team before delivery can help. Here are a few areas to consider:

• Meal planning. From meal trains to cooking parties, your friends and family can prepare meals for you. Make sure they’re freezer-friendly, so, on those exhausting days, you can grab one and just reheat it. Aim to have at least one healthy, nutritional meal a day that you can easily pop in the oven or crockpot.

• A bouncer. Your family and friends are excited about your new baby. But you may be too tired or emotionally drained to entertain. Setting boundaries in advance can help, but what about those spur-of-the-moment requests? Consider asking a special someone to run interference on your behalf until you feel up to hosting.

• A social media SOS. Maybe you have a last-minute need or just want a friend to sit with you while you cry. Post where you feel comfortable or have some go-to friends in mind for when those moments strike.

• Postpartum doulas. Postpartum doulas can be true angels! Their main goals are to “mother the mother” and help transition the family during this new time.[5] They provide a wealth of services: breast-feeding support, light housekeeping, running errands, and assisting with your newborn’s care.

4. Attend a Workshop

Preparing for life after delivery can feel overwhelming. You know things will be significantly different, but maybe you aren’t sure what all you need to do. Sometimes it helps to have a person to talk to in real life.

Renew & Restore Wellness and DFW Birth Resource are joining together on an exciting new workshop. This workshop is specially designed for expecting moms and their partners. It’ll be an evening filled with tips and resources to help make your first few weeks at home with your baby much more comfortable.

If you’re in the Southlake area, come on by on Thursday, April 2. We’d love to help you and your partner prepare for this exciting new adventure. To ensure we have enough space, please RSVP through Facebook by clicking here. 

We look forward to partnering with you!

Sources

1.  (2018, May 11). Postpartum care: After a vaginal delivery - Mayo Clinic. Retrieved February 10, 2020, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/labor-and-delivery/in-depth/postpartum-care/art-20047233

2.  (2018, May 11). C-section recovery: What to expect - Mayo Clinic. Retrieved February 10, 2020, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/labor-and-delivery/in-depth/c-section-recovery/art-20047310

3.  (2019, December 18). Padsicles: How to Make Them, How To Use Them ... - Healthline. Retrieved February 10, 2020, from https://www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/padsicles

4.  (2018, May 11). Postpartum care: After a vaginal delivery - Mayo Clinic. Retrieved February 10, 2020, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/labor-and-delivery/in-depth/postpartum-care/art-20047233

5.  (n.d.). Postpartum Doula - American Pregnancy Association. Retrieved February 10, 2020, from https://americanpregnancy.org/first-year-of-life/post-partum-doula/

How to Improve Your Gut Health After the Holidays

The holidays can bring with them beautiful celebrations and timeless traditions. This includes delicious food, snacks, drinks—and temptation.  

The desserts are plentiful. The meals are richer. And the struggle of loosening your belt or changing into sweatpants becomes all too real. The plate of cookies. That extra piece of pie. You don’t even want to admit what you did to all those buttery rolls.

And right now, you’re between two major holidays. One is under your belt (literally), and the other is around the corner. New Year’s Eve means one final round of holiday indulgences. 

And while a few treats won’t sabotage you, your gut health may have taken a holiday hit. Maybe you feel a little bloated...have some heartburn...or are making a few more trips to the bathroom than normal. 

Don’t worry—we have you covered with some easy tips to help you and your gut recover from the holidays.

The Importance of Gut Health

As Dr. Mark Hyman wrote, “having a healthy gut means more than simply being free of annoyances like bloating or heartburn. It is absolutely essential to your health. It is connected to everything that happens in your body.”

The health of your gut is linked to your whole body’s health. It determines what nutrients get absorbed. It also decides what toxins, microbes, or allergens are held at bay.

Your gut is home to 10-100 trillion bacteria that form a diverse ecosystem or “gut microbiome.” In order for you to be healthy, this ecosystem needs to be in balance. When in balance, your gut helps you digest food, regulate your hormones, produce healing compounds that keep you healthy, and get rid of toxins.

Your gut has a whole other slew of responsibilities. To name a few, your gut is:

• Connected to your immune system and can positively or negatively impact it.

• Provides nutrients and vitamins.

• In constant talk with your brain. (Did you know your gut has even more neurotransmitters than your brain?)

Your gut is quite the multi-tasker. And each of its roles is crucial to your health.

Improving Your Gut Health Naturally

When your gut is out of sorts, you become more prone to infections, inflammation, and immune disorders. You can also feel more upset in your stomach, such as bloating, gas, constipation, or diarrhea.

Fortunately, small steps make a difference, and doing them can help you to start feeling the benefits. And many of these steps don’t involve a trip to the doctor—they can be done naturally and practiced anywhere. So, with that, let’s “eat, drink, and be merry” our way to a healthier gut.

Eat: Foods for Gut Health

What you eat or drink is closely linked to your gut health. Studies have even shown that changing your diet can impact your gut microbiome in as little as 24 hours. This means that you can start impacting your gut relatively quickly. Here are some ways to help do that:

• Slow down and practice mindful eating. Enjoy your meal more by increasing awareness of each bite. Slowing your eating also helps you to hear your stomach when it’s full. This drops your chances of overeating.

• Consider taking a prebiotic and/or probiotic. These supplements can help support your digestion, immune system, and your good bacteria. Not all prebiotics and probiotics are equal in quality, so be sure to talk with your doctor about what would work best for you.

• Cut down on holiday sweets and processed foods. Eating low-fiber, highly processed, high-sugar, and high-calorie foods can feed the wrong bacteria or cause yeast to grow. One way to cut down your intake yet still enjoy is to choose between the cocktail or dessert instead of having both. Or consider choosing a mocktail over the cocktail.

• Bump up high fiber or fermented foods. If you know you’re going in for a marathon of rich eating, consider ramping up on your probiotic intake or adding fermented foods to your diet. Taking a drink or two of kefir early on in the day can help line your stomach with good bacteria. This helps with digestion and also reduces unwanted bloating.

Drink: Staying Hydrated

Often during the holidays, we choose foods and beverages that dehydrate us. Salty snacks, alcohol, and caffeine are a few of the guilty culprits. We can also have our fair share of high-calorie indulgences (eggnog, anyone?). Not having enough liquids not only dehydrates, but it can also cause a dip in your energy and slow down your digestive tract. 

To recover, make sure you load up on water (sparkling or flat). 100% vegetable juices are also a solid option. Chamomile tea is a great choice since it helps relax the gut, so you don’t feel as uncomfortable.

Be Merry: Improve Your Wellbeing

While diet is a large contributor to your gut health, here are a few other ways to lend your gut a helping hand:

• Ditch the stress. It’s no secret that holidays can cause tension or anxiety. Remember how the brain and gut are closely connected? This means that when you feel stress, your gut also feels it. Increased stress can slow or stop the digestive tract so that the energy flows to where the body thinks the threat is. Try taking some deep breaths, meditating, or playing with your family’s pets—pursue calmness by finding what works best for you.

• Take a walk. After your meal, hold off on napping (as tempting as it may be) and go for a short walk. Napping after a heavy, rich meal can increase reflux or indigestion. It also may not set you up for quality sleep since your body is focused on digesting instead of getting rest.  So, grab your shoes and a loved one, and go for a stroll.

Don’t Let Your Gut Be a Grinch

The holidays can be a fantastic time of visiting family or friends and celebrating age-old traditions. Part of that is enjoying special treats or sneaking in a few extra cookies to hold you over until this time next year.

As you start to recover from this holiday season, try out a couple of these ideas to help get your gut health back on track. If you have any questions or want to talk through ideas or products that support your gut, give our office a call. We are here to support you.

We at Renew & Restore Wellness wish you a Happy New Year and a blessed 2020!

Sources

1. (n.d.). How to Fix Your Gut: 7 Steps to Intestinal Health - Gaiam. Retrieved December 24, 2019, from https://www.gaiam.com/blogs/discover/how-to-fix-your-gut-7-steps-to-intestinal-health

2. Ibid.

3. (2016, August 19). Revised Estimates for the Number of .... Retrieved December 24, 2019, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4991899/

4. (n.d.). How to Fix Your Gut: 7 Steps to Intestinal Health - Gaiam. Retrieved December 24, 2019, from https://www.gaiam.com/blogs/discover/how-to-fix-your-gut-7-steps-to-intestinal-health

5. (2018, July 2). What's an Unhealthy Gut? How Gut Health .... Retrieved December 24, 2019, from https://www.healthline.com/health/gut-health

6. (2017, May 16). Introduction to the human gut microbiota - NCBI. Retrieved December 24, 2019, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5433529/

7. (n.d.). How to Fix Your Gut: 7 Steps to Intestinal Health - Gaiam. Retrieved December 24, 2019, from https://www.gaiam.com/blogs/discover/how-to-fix-your-gut-7-steps-to-intestinal-health

8. (2016, March 18). Probiotics and Prebiotics: Present Status and Future ... - NCBI. Retrieved December 24, 2019, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4808900/

9. (2017, April 8). Influence of diet on the gut microbiome and .... Retrieved December 24, 2019, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5385025/

10. (2019, September 18). Understanding probiotics and their benefits: an ISAPP .... Retrieved December 24, 2019, from https://www.gutmicrobiotaforhealth.com/en/understanding-probiotics-and-their-benefits-an-isapp-infographic/

11. (n.d.). How to Fix Your Gut: 7 Steps to Intestinal Health - Gaiam. Retrieved December 24, 2019, from https://www.gaiam.com/blogs/discover/how-to-fix-your-gut-7-steps-to-intestinal-health

12. (2019, August 21). Stress and the sensitive gut - Harvard Health. Retrieved December 24, 2019, from https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/stress-and-the-sensitive-gut